[Embo]

Interestingly, I had been thinking for months about starting a thread about the best games in the new Stanford Stadium.  In just 11 seasons, we've had the pleasure of storming the field multiple times.  So if you were to ask me which was the greatest, I would have to say .....

2013 Football vs. Oregon.

Think about this.  The game had been circled on the calendar for a year.  ESPN selected this for a Thursday night special due to the national implications.  And there was certainly no disappointment on ESPN's part when the game arrived - Oregon was ranked #3, Stanford #5.  There was no other competition on any channel.  And the people paying attention weren't just in Tallahasse, Tuscaloosa, Columbus,Clemson, or Norman - it was the whole friggin' country.

Here's a quick anecdote.  We frequently stay in Mendocino for weekends.  The neighbors to the cottage we rent are a couple who are full time residents.  He's a fisherman, she's a nurses aide.  They have no connection to either Oregon, Stanford, or the Bay Area.  But they got tickets for this game a long time in advance - because they knew it would be a big deal and wanted to witness it.

I was euphoric after the game.  My daughter texted me, "On the field?"  and I replied, "Not yet!"  I was in the photo where Shayne Skov was being interviewed postgame.  The nation was in awe of how Stanford dismantled Oregon both on offense and defense.  Every time it was replayed on ESPN or the PAC-12 network, I'd watch it in its entirety - and just exalt over Reese Davis's final call:  "And for one night - at this bastion of academia - college football rules!"

[Embo]

Interestingly, I had been thinking for months about starting a thread about the best games in the new Stanford Stadium.  In just 11 seasons, we've had the pleasure of storming the field multiple times.  So if you were to ask me which was the greatest, I would have to say .....

2013 Football vs. Oregon.

Think about this.  The game had been circled on the calendar for a year.  ESPN selected this for a Thursday night special due to the national implications.  And there was certainly no disappointment on ESPN's part when the game arrived - Oregon was ranked #3, Stanford #5.  There was no other competition on any channel.  And the people paying attention weren't just in Tallahasse, Tuscaloosa, Columbus,Clemson, or Norman - it was the whole friggin' country.

Here's a quick anecdote.  We frequently stay in Mendocino for weekends.  The neighbors to the cottage we rent are a couple who are full time residents.  He's a fisherman, she's a nurses aide.  They have no connection to either Oregon, Stanford, or the Bay Area.  But they got tickets for this game a long time in advance - because they knew it would be a big deal and wanted to witness it.

I was euphoric after the game.  My daughter texted me, "On the field?"  and I replied, "Not yet!"  I was in the photo where Shayne Skov was being interviewed postgame.  The nation was in awe of how Stanford dismantled Oregon both on offense and defense.  Every time it was replayed on ESPN or the PAC-12 network, I'd watch it in its entirety - and just exalt over Reese Davis's final call:  "And for one night - at this bastion of academia - college football rules!"